SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2026
Individualizing isotretinoin dosing in acne: comparable 24-week efficacy and better tolerability at lower daily doses.
Synthesis in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The optimal isotretinoin dosing strategy for acne vulgaris remains debated, balancing efficacy against dose-dependent toxicity. Objective: To compare the efficacy, safety, and post-treatment outcomes of low-dose (≤0.5 mg/kg/day) versus conventional-dose (0.5-1.0 mg/kg/day) isotretinoin. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The primary outcome was the change in Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) score at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included post-treatment worsening quantified as GAGS score deterioration, adverse events, and patient satisfaction. Certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE. Results: Four trials (210 randomized; 202 analyzed) were included. At 24 weeks, the pooled mean difference favored neither regimen [MD = -1.87, 95% CI (-4.38, 0.64); Conclusion: In RCTs conducted predominantly in moderate acne and in contexts minimizing co-interventions, low-dose isotretinoin provides comparable 24-week efficacy to conventional dosing while offering superior tolerability and higher patient satisfaction. Conventional dosing may yield a modestly faster early response; however, the absolute differences were small and evidence in substantially more severe acne remains limited and context-dependent. Systematic review registration: Registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024536322), URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024536322.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.